Abosaide Cadogan holds the girls’ trophy alongside teammates after a remarkable match that won the title
Selfless Abosaide
Confidence was always high that the strong boys team would be able to deliver gold, and a lot of attention was placed on the girls to win the title, a feat they had not accomplished since 2014.
It nearly slipped away in the cliff-hanger final against Jamaica, had it not been for the bravery and commitment of team captain, Abosaide Cadogan.
Despite an injured ankle, Cadogan battled the pain in a match which went the distance with Savannah Thomson, who also had an apparent shoulder injury.
It was 43 minutes of exciting rallies, and cheers, and lots of grimacing faces before a serve capped the match, as the Guyanese came from behind to win 9-11, 11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 11-6.
Girls Under-19 silver medalist, Kirsten Gomes, won 11-7, 11-4, 7-11, 14-12 against Mia Todd, but her compatriots Ryle Rodrigues and Samirah Sumner both lost their matches, which meant all was left on the shoulders of Cadogan to deliver, and she did.
For the Boys, it was straightforward given the depth and quality of the team.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., hands over the Caribbean Under-19 champion trophy to Guyana’s Shomari WiltshireAfter Shomari Wiltshire dispatched Barbados’ best player, and the tournament’s number two seed, Darien Benn 8-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7, Caribbean Under-17 Champion, Nicholas Verwey defeated Alex Stewart 11-9, 11-9, 11-8. Likewise did Shiloh Asregado and Samuel Ince-Carvalhal.
In the individual segment, Guyana won three gold medals compliments of Wiltshire, Verwey and Avery Arjoon, and Guyana finished with 12 medals, seven more than second-place Trinidad and Tobago.
Next year’s Junior CASA is likely to be held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines or the Cayman Islands, while this year’s Senior CASA will be staged in Jamaica next month.
